I Am Not a Zombie

“Having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.” — Colossians 2: 12-14

Ever watch horror movies on cable? One of the most popular ones is Night of the Living Dead where a bunch of flesh eating zombies arise from the grave and terrorize the neighborhood.

For years I was a zombie. When I accepted Jesus Christ as my savior, I died. If I accepted Jesus Christ as my savior and then did not try to live a life without sin then I have turned myself into a zombie. I am walking around with some stinky grave clothes, not really aware of what I am doing or where I am going. Driven by some cannibalistic hunger I can neither define nor satiate. Not a pretty picture is it?

My friend Tony says that when someone brings up his past he replies, “That person you are talking about is dead.” It is best to leave that person lying in the grave and let the joyous resurrected person rise from the grave. We are new creatures in Christ, and the old creatures are dead. The glorious news is that when we are reborn, we are born into the royal family. I’m sorry, but there are not zombies allowed in the royal family.

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”I Peter 2:9

In the book of John it tells the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. It says that Lazarus came out of the grave and the clothes his family buried him in had him bound up and he could not move about freely. Jesus ordered his apostles and Lazarus’ family to take the grave clothes off.

Jesus is ordering us to take off those grave clothes. We’ve been told earlier to put on the garment of praise. So take off those rags that bind you up and do not allow you to be free. Put on the garments of praise and become alive in your new standing as royalty. Live as royalty.